All Lester Michaels wants is to be an actor…

When aspiring actor Lester Michaels learns of an acting school taught by his favorite thespian - the legendary and enigmatic Cliff Dawson - he thinks he's finally found the key to success. Long abandoned by Hollywood, Cliff now devotes his life to teaching the next generation of actors at his own private lessons. However, as Lester soon discovers, Cliff’s methods for doing so are decidedly unconventional - they involve TORTURE.  Now, Lester must decide how far he is really willing to go to achieve his dream of ending up on the silver screen, or die trying...

JEREMY'S PERSONAL CONNECTION

While I’m still only a wee lad, I’ve worked in the entertainment industry for four years. 

Hence, I’ve witnessed firsthand how uneven power dynamics play a huge role in creating a toxic work environment, including a particularly nightmarish experience a few years ago.

I first thought of this story three years ago, and even after the turmoil of graduating college and planting my foot in the entertainment industry's door, it never left my mind as something I absolutely needed to make. Now, with discussions of abusive power dynamics and the predatory nature of the entertainment industry at the forefront of national discourse, I feel it is the right time to share my vision with the world.

The passage of time between its inception and the present day has given me plenty of perspective on what I ultimately want this project to be - an exploration of what an artist puts themselves through to make what they love, and hopefully something everybody who’s had a bad boss, teacher, or any other authority figure can relate to and find some catharsis in laughing along with the outrageous twists and turns of the story.

I’ve had the chance to edit a number of incredible projects, from gripping documentaries to dark comedies and deeply personal character studies (while simultaneously working full time on a network TV show),  all of which give me a unique purview as a director in relation to the economics of storytelling.

Additionally, as a former Film Studies minor who has loved the movies ever since I watched Spy Kids 3D as a spry 4 year-old, I feel I have a refined vision for what separates the good movies from the great ones. This is a story that matters so dearly to me and, especially with the all-star crew I’ve assembled, deserves my full effort.

WHAT'S OUR MOTIVATION?

Is this class really worth all that money?

Through this campaign, our goal is to raise funds for Acting School's entire life cycle. That's right - we're not just raising money for one part of the process, but the whole enchilada: pre-production, production, post-production, and even the film's festival run.

Production will begin in August 2023, and we hope to have a polished final product by early 2024. After that, we intend to give the film a substantial run on the film festival circuit. Festival submissions can be incredibly costly, and because of this, any amount raised over our $9,000 goal will go towards increasing our festival submissions. This will ensure that the film reaches the widest audience possible, so Cliff's message can impact the hearts and minds of film lovers everywhere.

After the festival run, qualifying contributors can expect to receive physical and digital copies of the film.

WHAT WE NEED

In order to make the film, we need to pay and feed our hardworking cast and crew. These are all working professionals who deserve to be paid a living wage. In addition to this, we need funds to pay for our fabulous theatre location where the titular "Acting School" will take place.

We need to rent camera and lighting equipment that will help us achieve the look that is displayed on our mood boards above. Additionally, in order to rent the equipment, we need insurance. Lastly, we need to pay our post-production team to edit, color, sound design, and score the film to create the best final product that this film can possibly be.

WHAT YOU GET

In exchange for your extremely generous and kind contributions to Acting School, we are offering a number of incentives. These incentives range from a shoutout on social media, to producer credits that will be listed in the credits and on IMDB, and even to VIP seats at the film's premiere. However, if you aren't interested in any of the incentives, feel free to enter a custom amount that you would like to contribute. 

THE CREATIVE

THE CHARACTERS

CLIFF DAWSON

In his heyday, there was no greater actor than Cliff Dawson. Handsome and charismatic with gravitas that rivaled the likes of Brando or Dean, Cliff was undoubtedly a star. Unfortunately, his fiery personality and various other missteps got him castigated from the Hollywood elite, eventually leading him to discover his true passion: teaching the next generation of silver screen stars. Cliff is a fierce but caring and supremely dedicated instructor, wanting to make his students as adept at the dramatic arts as possible, by any means necessary, no matter how strange or morally questionable...

LESTER MICHAELS

Lester is a naive, well-meaning young man whose primary desire in life is to be an actor.  After discovering that his favorite thespian, none other than the Cliff Dawson, now devotes his life to teaching budding young actors like him, Lester eagerly enrolls in the class. Lester strives to do anything to please his new master, which leads him to become an eager participant in Cliff’s unwieldy and dangerous lessons. Now, Lester will discover how far he is able to go to reach what he wants, and how much pain he's willing to endure to earn a spot alongside Cliff as one of the greats.

LOOK, FEEL & ATMOSPHERE

I want Acting School to wear its influences on its sleeve while simultaneously being its own thing. 

When thinking of comps for the short, the first film to come to mind was, strangely, A Clockwork Orange.  After some time considering it, the two stories are actually quite similar - both center around an attempt at a complete reformation of somebody’s character, just in polar opposite ways.  Unlike Alex DeLarge, Lester is an upstanding model citizen, and that’s his problem.  Without many struggles to pull from in his life, he’s unable to reach the dark places all great actors must pull from to create truly memorable performances on screen.  Not to mention, Kubrick’s innate talent for crafting insanely memorable visuals are on full display, with distinct visual storytelling methods like employing long lenses and larger-than-life production design to match the otherworldly characters.

As a film, Acting School must feel timeless, because in a sense, it is.  The story at its core is about exploitation in service of creating art, and that is a central question constantly in play in many mediums, and has been present in filmmaking since the beginning.  Thus, I want Acting School to feel like it could have been made in the 70’s or even earlier, by using the 1.66:1  aspect ratio used for many classics while also employing film grain, minimal camera movement and employment of muted colors, which will also help to make the moments of blood and such stick out that much more.

THANK YOU!

We would not be able to make this film without generous patrons of the art like yourself! Please consider making a contribution so we can bring Cliff Dawson's demented acting class to life.

We get it - times are tough and not everyone can afford to contribute. But if you feel as passionately about this subject matter as us and believe in this project, please consider sharing this page on social media, or following us.